CBI grills Kalmadi for 3 hours

Eight months after registering an FIR in connection with irregularities in awarding contracts in Commonwealth Games, former CWG committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was questioned on Thursday by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI).

He was questioned by the agency over alleged irregularities in Rs 70 crore contracts given to a Mauritius-based company for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Sources said that Lok Sabha member of Parliament from Pune was questioned for about three hours during which he was asked various details related to the controversial contracts. 'We asked him about the reasons behind picking up a firm Event Knowledge System (EKS) for executing contracts for the mega sporting event held from 3-14 October, 2010m' the sources said.

This firm was allegedly given three contracts worth over Rs 70 crore by the committee for giving consultancy on issues like venue development and management, games workforce planning and project management services.

The central agencies ED and CBI were asked to probe this case after contracts had come under the scanner of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed high level committee on CWG scam headed by former CAG V K Shunglu for alleged wrongdoings. The Shunglu Committee, which went into the alleged irregularities in the Games, had said the entire contract given to EKS was a 'mockery' of Quality Based Selection.

The CBI had registered the case naming Kalmadi and other senior officials of the Games Organising Committee as accused. Kalmadi is also facing other alleged corruption cases in the conduct of Commonwealth Games CWG being investigated by the CBI.